The Date
by Darksroid17
Summary: It is Nicole and Richard's anniversary! Sadly, Richard forgot all about it... but with the help of his family, he will try to make it a wonderful day for Nicole. One-shot.


**The Date**

 **A/N: This story was created because of a request. I would like to point out that the character Lexy Watterson is an OC owned by lexboss. My first language is not English, if I have any misspelled words or grammar errors then I apologize, but please do let me know it. Any constructive criticism will be kindly accepted. Without taking more of your time, enjoy the story and have a great day! Don't forget to review!**

It seemed like, yet again, another normal day. However, today was different. For the Watterson's family today was a very special day, specially for Nicole and Richard.

Nicole, who was watching Richard being as lazy as ever in the sofa, kept narrowed eyes on him. He noticed quite quickly, being constantly stabbed by her gaze. "Um... are you... concerned about something?"

"Concerned? No, no." She gave Richard a dismissive wave with her hand. "I'm not concerned. I'm... slightly angry, and disappointed."

"What? Why? Did I forgot something? Wait, don't tell me!" Richard rubbed his chin while thinking. "I left the fridge open last night?"

"No, Richard."

"I talked too much in my sleep and didn't let you sleep?" He poked his index finger with his other index finger, indicating that he felt sorry.

"No, Richard..."

"Then what...?"

She gave a disappointing sigh. "Richard, did you check the calendar today?"

"No... why? Was there something important?" Even though he asked, he felt like he was afraid to know the answer.

"Richard... today is our anniversary."

Nicole waited patiently for the words to sink in Richard. He took his time trying to comprehend the important fact that today was the day they got married and promised to stay together forever.

"Oooooooooooohhh!" The words had finally taken their effect. "Wait, are you mad at me because I forgot?" He gave Nicole his sweet, yet lamented look with his eyes.

Nicole nodded.

"I'm sorry..." Richard apologized.

He felt bad for forgetting such an important day. How could he just forget this? And can he even make up for it? Wait, make up for it... that was it! Richard had an idea.

"Nicole, wait, today is _still_ our anniversary! That means I can still make this day one of the happiest in your life. I have a plan that will make it up to you!" Richard said with pride and excitement in his voice.

"Really, Richard?" Nicole asked, her tone carrying a hint of surprise and hope.

"Yes!"

"Oh, thank you!" Nicole hugged Richard then looked at him with a smile. "So what's the plan that you have?"

"Uh..." He did say he had a plan, but he didn't actually think of any. "It's a surprise! Yeah, that's right, it's a surprise that you will love."

"Well, it's a surprise that I will be impatiently waiting for." Richard was taken by surprise when Nicole gave him a small kiss in the cheek, leaving him with a small blush and a smile.

Minutes later, Richard regrouped in the upstairs room with his kids. The reason? To discuss his plans for today.

The first one to talk was Anais. "Let me get this straight. You told mom you had a surprise for her, but you don't have any idea what to do?"

"Yes..." Richard admitted.

"Don't you have some kind of a special place? You know, where you and mom used to hang out all the time…?" Gumball asked.

"I'm sorry, Gumball, but where we used to talk and hang out is not the same place it used to be. Time changes things." Richard answered and hanged his body low. "I really want to make today a day that she would remember..."

"Don't worry, dad, we can help you!" Lexy burst out with optimism.

Lexy Watterson was the twin sister of Gumball, being a cat of the same age and just about the same size. She wore a black shirt with a blue skirt and no shoes, with her skin being pink colored. People always say that she looks like her mother.

"You'll see, Mr. Dad, by the end of the day Mrs. Mom will love you even more!" Darwin added.

Their words helped Richard heighten his spirits. "Really, kids? Thank you!"

Richard spent some more time with the kids to create the ultimate date plan. They gave ideas, opinions and different point of views. After evaluating everything they had, they came to a decision and created the plan. All of it was finally ready to be set into motion in the afternoon.

Even if he had been in this type of situation before, Richard still got nervous at the thought of a date. He was wearing the best attire he had; his famous, rarely seen, black tuxedo. "Are you ready, Nicole?" Richard couldn't hold back his impatience in waiting for his wife, who was upstairs.

"One moment!" Her voice still had a loud tone, despite distance.

Once Nicole was ready, she walked downstairs. To her surprise no one said anything. "Why are you all so quite...? Did I-"

Nicole was shut by the Richard she saw before her. She took in the details, the time it probably took for him to look very elegant, and, of course, what he was wearing.

Richard examined his wife as well, and to his surprise, she had done the same thing as him. "Nicole, you..."

"Richard, you also..."

They walked up to each and held their hands. "You're wearing the same tuxedo from our first date." Nicole said, happiness clearly being carried in her voice.

"And you're also wearing the same dress from that day." Richard replied. "It reminds me of how you looked 13 years ago..."

Richard couldn't help but to admire his wife further. She was wearing a crimson red dress that went all the way to her knees, her ears were decorated by small diamond earrings, and was, for the kids surprise, wearing her matrimony ring.

"Wow, mom, you look amazing!" Anais said while admiring her mom. "Why can't I look like that?"

Lexy decided to act playful with her sister. "Maybe is because you're small." She giggled at her own tease.

"Just because I'm small doesn't mean I can't look cute." Anais crossed her arms.

The married couple chuckled at the cute, little Anais. "I'm sure you will look wonderful when you grow up, sweetie. But don't dwell on it too much now, time will tell." Nicole told her.

The couple felt like they had taken enough time from their hands. "Well, kids, your father and I will go out on a date. I want you all to behave! Remember, if a-"

"Stranger knocks on the door, don't open." The kids said in unison.

"We know that, mom!" Gumball replied with a hint of annoyance.

"Good. I'm putting you in charge-"

Gumball interrupted Nicole. "Of course! I'll be supervising them all very well."

"I was gonna have Lexy supervise all of you, Gumball."

"What?! Why?"

"For starters, she is more responsible at supervising."

"Oh, c'mon! When have I failed you, mom?"

Nicole gave Gumball a look that made him recall a past event, particularly the one when he failed at watching over his little sister, Anais. "I think you know why."

"Yes..." Gumball gave up and agreed.

"Alright, we'll be leaving now. Take good care of them, Lexy!"

"Yes ma'am!" Lexy saluted Nicole.

Nicole smiled and left with Richard. Now that they were left alone, the other plan was about start.

"Ok, let's prepare everything!" Lexy told the others. "Darwin, you're in charge of the balloons. Gumball, you have to take care of the other decorations. In the meantime, Anais and I will make the cake!"

"Understood!" Anais, Gumball and Darwin answered.

With the orders given, they began their work... while their parents had a good time, or so they thought.

"I must admit, Richard, when you said we were " _going somewhere new_ '", I was not expecting this." Nicole said while indicating the restaurant that they were walking up to. "I mean, it even looks expensive in the outside!"

Richard was trying his best to not get too nervous. His sweat was already sliding down his forehead, with the feeling of being suffocated by the tuxedo not helping at all. He wanted this to be the perfect date for Nicole, and committing an error was not an option.

"Well, Nicole, sometimes you would do anything for the one you love." Richard replied. "(And I had a little help...)"

"What was that, Richard?" She asked, clearly having heard something when Richard whispered under his breath.

"Nothing! I was just wondering what you would like to eat." Richard answered nervously.

The cornflower colored cat slightly noticed Richard's sudden behavior, but decided to ignore it, probably being a reaction for entering a new restaurant. "We can decide that when we sit down."

Our favorite couple took a seat in the table near a corner, just for privacy. They shared a short silence with each other that was quickly broken by the waiter, who was Larry. "Here's the menu." Larry handed them a menu template. "I will back shortly to take your orders."

With Larry gone, the Watterson's looked at the menu thoroughly. All of the different options were unique, not to mention expensive. This worried Richard the most, since he didn't want to make Nicole hesitate to order anything. He needed to say something...

"You can choose whatever you want! Today is a special day and I want you to enjoy it to the fullest." He said.

"Are you sure? This menu is seems a bit... over our-"

"You don't have to worry about anything, Nicole." Richard added without letting her finish. "Just concentrate on enjoying our anniversary!"

"If... you say so..."

Meanwhile, in the Watterson's house the kids were having some difficulties with their plans...

The kitchen was letting out a bit of smoke. Lexy and Anais walked out while coughing. "Okay, that's another fail."

"Don't worry, Anais, we'll get it right this time!" Lexy told her.

"Lexy, this is the third time we've tried it. How are things going to change now?"

"C'mon, Anais, don't get all pessimistic. I'm trying my best to give mom and dad a great anniversary surprise, and you have to try to give your best, too!"

"I need... more oxygen." Darwin slowly crawled his way to the girls while gasping for air.

"Darwin!?" Anais and Lexy jumped slightly at the sudden sight of their brother.

"What happened to you?" Asked Anais.

"I filled... too many balloons. My lungs... can't take no more." He answered, his body giving up and completely falling to the floor.

"What's up with Darwin?" Gumball joined in.

"Gumball, there you are! Did you collected every decoration you could find in the house?" Lexy asked Gumball.

"Yeah, I managed to find some, and I stored them in my room. Did you make the cake?"

"We, uh, had some problems... again." She reluctantly admitted.

"Great... I guess there's only one option left!"

"Work together as a family to make the cake?" Anais asked.

"I was gonna say go buy a cake, but that seems fine." Gumball answered.

Darwin finally got up from the floor. "But do we even know how to make a cake?"

"We have a book that shows us the recipe, Darwin." Explained Lexy while holding the book.

"Oh..."

"Let's get to it, then!" Gumball shouted with energy.

Back at the restaurant, Nicole was beginning to get concerned about Richard. He was acting very weird, and very worried about something. Anything she would ask for, she had it in an instant... even if it was just a simple drink. She was taking a good look at Richard, who seemed to be agitated and a bit weak.

"Richard, do you wanna go?" Nicole asked, clearly being troubled by Richard. This caught his attention. "You look like you were... stressed."

"Stressed? No, I'm fine!" He quickly answered.

She kept looking at her worrisome husband with concern. "Are you sure? If you don't feel good, we can always just leave."

"Nicole, I am fine! There's nothing to worry about." He assured her.

Nicole dropped the issue and kept eating, but the thoughts still crawled through her mind. Richard hasn't acted like this before; he's being very generous, maybe too generous. Was it the food, or maybe it's just because he's actually happy? Either way, something didn't felt right.

Richard still behaved the same way for the past ten minutes. He would keep making up conversations, which Nicole knew he was not interested in. He would constantly do as she asked, and even offered various things to her. She was beginning to feel plagued by her husband's continuous generosity, and felt like she has had enough of it.

This bizarre and constant behavior from Richard finally got to Nicole later on. She was not going to tolerate him any longer, and she was going to get to the bottom of what was causing it.

"Hey, honey, do you-"

"Richard, stop."

The sudden reaction from Nicole left Richard frozen.

"Richard, what's wrong? You're not being yourself today."

Richard took a second before replying. "I am being myself." He searched for something to change the topic. "Here, don't you want any-"

"No, Richard."

"What about-"

"No." She said firmly.

"But-"

"Richard Watterson!" She yelled, having snapped. The attention of the entire restaurant was on them. Nicole narrowed her look and got up from her seat, then started to walk away.

"Nicole..." Richard called her name while getting up from the seat, but she didn't answer. She had left the restaurant.

Richard set his gaze to the floor, having messed up his date and upset Nicole. This broke his heart... he failed to the most important person in his life. He had to do something to apologize, but did he even had the courage to do it? There was only one way... he had to man up and walk up to her, this time speaking the honest truth.

He found Nicole seating in a bench nearby while looking at the night sky. Richard sat down next to her. This time they shared a long silent moment...

"You know, I remember when we used to be young, and you would to go to my house and sing me a song through the window during the night." She finally spoke. "Those were one of the happiest moments in my life, seeing that someone really cared about me."

Richard didn't say anything, and just kept listening. "That was when I realized... that you were the one I truly loved. That's why I married you..."

"To say the truth, Nicole, I didn't feel anything for you when we first met, we were just friends. But I slowly fell in love every time you stepped up for me, helped me in my most difficult times." He admitted. "I'm sorry if I was acting strange inside the restaurant. I just wanted for this to be the greatest anniversary you've ever had."

Nicole looked at Richard. "Richard, I appreciate everything you did today, but you have to remember that this is not my anniversary... it is _our_ anniversary, and that means you also need to enjoy it. I couldn't stand watching you overwork yourself back there, but you kept insisting on not letting me help you and that's what made me upset."

They both stayed quiet until the moment faded. Time seemed to pass slowly as the night kept going; a warm smile formed on their lips when they finally looked at each other in the eyes.

Now that they felt better, Nicole got up from the bench. "You wanna go home?" She offered him a hand.

Richard took it and also got up. "Yes, I do... but first."

He took his wife by surprise with a passionate kiss, which she gladly returned. The couple now trapped in their moment, times and space no longer existed for them, as they shared their affection through the lock of their lips.

"Whoa... Richard... you-" Nicole was the first to speak after they finished; though, she got quickly interrupted.

"You don't have say anything. Let's just walk to the car and go back home."

"Ahem!" Larry intervened. "Sorry to ruin your moment, but I'm afraid you still have a bill to pay!"

"Oh, uh..." Richard was thinking of an escape plan. "Nicole?"

"Yes, Richard?"

"RUN!" He shouted and they both made a run for the car.

"Hey, stop!" Larry quickly followed them.

Richard and Nicole swiftly entered the car. Larry, however, managed to catch up to them. He stepped in the car's way. "You won't go anywhere until you pay!"

Richard started the engine.

"What are you doing?" Larry asked, surprised by Richard's actions.

Richard pressed the accelerator slightly, which made the car move front by an inch. "Stop that!" Larry demanded.

Richard repeated the previous step, this time actually driving the car forward. Luckily, Larry moved out of the way in time. With Larry off his back, Richard drove his way back to their home.

"I'll get you for this Wattersons!" Yelled Larry in anger with a clenched fist.

It was finally time. The kids knew their parents would be back home any minute now, and they finally had everything ready. All they needed was a final check on everything.

"Balloons?" Asked Lexy.

"Check!" Answered Darwin.

"Uh... Darwin, why are the balloons on the floor?"

"Well, we don't have Helium, so..."

"Fine. It's okay." Lexy let out a small sigh. "Decorations?"

"Check!" This time it was Gumball.

"And finally... cake!"

"Check!" Said Anais.

"Good! Everything is set and ready!"

Some seconds later they felt a car stopping in front of their house. Gumball went to check through the window. "It's them!"

"Alright, get into position!" Lexy gave the order.

Nicole and Richard had gotten out of the car and now were walking towards their house. "Wow! I can't believe we just did that..."

"I know, Nicole... but it sure was exciting!" The both laughed at the memory of Larry's reaction.

Nicole walked up to the door and unlocked it. "Kids, we're home!" She said after opening the door.

The house was completely dark, but was quickly lit up by the sudden flip of a switch, followed by...

"Happy Anniversary!" The kids said in unison.

The light showed that the room was filled with balloons and lots of confetti. In the entrance of the kitchen, hanging from one corner to another, was a banner saying "Happy Anniversary" on it.

Nicole was very surprised and impressed that her kids made this for them. "Kids, did you really put all your time and effort on this?"

"That's right, mom!" Anais was the one to speak.

"I... I don't know what to say."

" _We_ don't know what to say." Richard added while smiling at Nicole, a smile that she returned.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Mom and Mr. Dad, you don't have say anything."

"Look! We even made you a cake!" Lexy pulled them both. She could not contain her excitement.

They walked to the table next to the kitchen, where there was a cake. There was something written with frosting on it... it was spelling "Happy Anniversary". This touched the heart of both Nicole and Richard.

"Sorry if we didn't buy any gifts. We were broke..." Gumball said.

"You don't have to apologize for anything Gumball, and I don't need any gifts. You all have given me the best gift a mother could have; a family." Nicole explained to her son. "Come here, all of you."

They all went to Nicole and shared a giant, family group hug. "Thank you so much."

Nicole suddenly got struck by a thought. "Wait, how did you make a cake?"

"Well, at first me and Anais failed badly... so we tried making one together." Lexy admitted.

"Yeah, it was a bit hard at first..." Added Anais.

"That just shows how important is teamwork, girls." Nicole got struck by another thought. "Hold on..."

Nicole walked to the kitchen and entered. She saw what she expected, a total mess; everything was disorganized and used. Nicole let out a sigh at the sight. "Don't worry... I can clean this later. For now, let's just enjoy this day in peace. How about you cut a piece of the cake, Lexy?"

"Sure thing, mom!" Lexy smiled.

With that, the Wattersons enjoyed the rest of the night.

 **THE END**


End file.
